sewing maternity

Maybe some of you don't know yet that Baby Blair numero dos is on the way. Hooray!!!! We are duper excited. Being the planner I am, I have already begun making maternity clothes. I just got this great book while my mommy was here a few weeks ago called Weekend Sewing.


I learned about it on the Purl Bee and found it at Beverly's. Anyway, I learned how to smock and wow, I feel like my sewing world has been blown open. It's amazing how just learning one little trick on a sewing machine can enrich your hobby so much! So, I wanted to share the fun stuff I have been making...


This is actually the second project I made. The first was a dress for Jovie that I accidently made WAY too small and is sitting on my ironing board irritating me. Live and learn.



All of the clothes I have made for myself so far are out of this cozy knit fabric, but I think that my next project will maybe be a crisper cotton.



I didn't use a pattern for this skirt and it was supposed to be a bubble skirt ummm... no bubble. I am going to figure this out because I love bubble skirts. I think it's cute anyway, Heath calls it my tennis skirt.


Lastly, I finished this dress this morning before church. This is my most complicated project yet. I almost gave up yesterday while I was making the ruffle at the bottom. I thought it was going to look so stupid. I am just not a ruffle person. I feel like ruffles are ment for bull-fighters and pageant girls from Texas, but I ended up really liking this dress. It's kind of funny, I would never try this dress on if I found it in Old Navy but after I put all of this effort into making it I like it. So, maybe it's not that cute I just feel sentimental about it because I learned a lot and I did it all by myself.


This picture of Jov and me and is here because I couldn't handle an entire post with only solo shots of myself. Could I be any more awkward and ridiculous?!


Ok. I also want to tell the "sew-y" crafters out there...Katie Briemle, Ruthie Dutton, Erin Largoza...about a great tool that my mummy introduced me to. Pattern + Tracing paper + Tracing wheel = such an easy way to use a pattern.

So, I have always been kind of afraid to use patterns because they totally seem like a pain. All of that paper with different lines that you have to cut up and pin to your fabric and then fold back into that crazy little pouch. The other alternative is photo copying and taping pages together and making a bunch of confusing nonsense. Well, my mom bought me this sewing "kit" we'll call it, for a dollar at this yard sale. Isn't it grand?


In the kit was this little wheel that my mom told me she used to use in her 4H and homemaking classes in high school. It was a tracing wheel and she didn't even know if they made the tracing paper anymore but it made sewing with a pattern really easy. I needed to investigate and you all know that asking someone at Joann's about a product that they "might" carry is like taking a shot in the dark. I went to Beverly's and described this stuff my mom talked about and the lady knew exactly what I was talking about! Hooray for Beverly's yet once again! Here's a few pictures of the process. My fabric is light and my camera is not the best but you can see the faint chalk lines that are on my fabric so I knew exactly where to cut my fabric and didn't have to cut my pattern!

Have fun sewing and if you want to come over and have a little tutorial, call me!